Buona Beef Menu Prices 2026: Italian Beef & Combos

Buona's signature Italian beef comes in three sizes: $5.49 for the 5-inch, $6.49 for the 7-inch and $8.49 for the 10-inch. You choose your toppings (sweet peppers or hot giardiniera) and your gravy level (dry, dipped or extra-dipped) at no extra charge. The 7-inch is the most-ordered size.

The Combo Buona Beef & Sausage is $7.49 as a sandwich — Italian beef plus a char-grilled Italian sausage stacked on the same French roll. Ordered as a combo meal with a fry and fountain drink it runs higher; confirm the current meal price at your local store or in the app.

Giardiniera (jar-din-AIR-a) is a spicy Chicago pickled-vegetable relish — celery, carrots, cauliflower, sport peppers and olives in oil. At Buona it's a standard topping choice on Italian beef and sausage at no upcharge, alongside sweet bell peppers. Hot giardiniera on a dipped beef is the classic Chicago order.

It's about how much gravy (beef au jus) touches the bun. Dry means the bun is barely dipped; dipped means the whole sandwich is run through the gravy so the bread soaks it up — messy, and best eaten over the wrapper. Buona also offers an extra-dipped 'wet' level. All gravy levels are the same price.

The Single Burger is $5.49 — a 1/3 lb char-grilled patty with lettuce, tomato, red onion, kosher pickles, ketchup and mayo on a toasted buttered brioche bun. The Double Burger is $7.99, and the Bacon Cheddar and Avocado Jack burgers are $7.19 each.

Yes, more than most Italian beef spots. Vegetarian picks include the pasta dishes (Rigatoni Marinara and Cheese Ravioli at $8.95, Fettuccine Alfredo and Pesto Cream at $9.50), several salads (Caesar $6.25, House $6.25), the Friday Pepper & Egg sandwich ($5.75), fries, cheese fries ($2.95) and the full dessert lineup. There's no meatless Italian beef, but the menu has real vegetarian entrees.

Cheese fries are $2.95; regular fries are $2.25 and large fries $3.25. Other sides include kettle chips ($1.65), potato salad ($2.25), Italian pasta salad ($2.25) and a side house or Caesar salad ($3.50). A pound of Buona beef with a quart of gravy to take home is $9.50.

Buona's dessert lineup leans Italian-American: a Chocolate Chip Cannoli with Nuts ($2.50), Ghirardelli fudge brownie ($2.50), a fresh-baked cookie ($1.25) and the Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Cake Roll ($3.49) — a nod to Chicago's iconic Rainbow Cone. Milkshakes start at $3.75. Specialty Italian ice is not a standard fixed-price menu item at every location, so we've left it off rather than list an unverified price.

Buona was founded in 1981 in Berwyn, Illinois by Joe and Peggy Buonavolanto, and is now run by three generations of the same family. It bills itself as 'Chicago's Original Italian Beef' and operates roughly 30 locations across the Chicago area and into Wisconsin. Use the store locator on buona.com for exact addresses and hours.

For the headline item, yes. Buona's 7-inch Italian beef is $6.49 versus Portillo's Italian beef around $10.49 — Buona prices its beef closer to a fast-food sandwich while Portillo's positions as fast-casual. Burgers are also lower at Buona (single $5.49 vs. Portillo's ~$8.99). Portillo's counters with its cult chocolate cake shake; Buona's edge is everyday Italian-beef value.